I am, admittedly, a bit biased as my daily driver for the past few years has been an E39 M5. That having been said, I love this car. Specifically, mine is a 2008 335xi E92 sport coupe with the N54 turbocharged engine. In almost every way it keeps up with or outperforms my M5.

To start with, it is about $12,000 less than the comparable M3 of the same year, although you can reduce that difference by making the one necessary change for performance - replacing the wheels and tires with some decent ones for sport driving. Keep the run-flats and all-seasons for the winter though. The styling, inside and out, are beautiful. I went with the black metallic exterior, black interior with black walnut trim. Sport package is a must - better seats, paddle shifters. Also, a couple hundred spent on a Huberoptik tint job is worth it, and looks great on the car. Fit and finish, inside and out, is excellent.

The tech toys in the car are all fun, auto-leveling headlamps, adaptive headlamps, adaptive brake lamps... even iDrive isn't bad to use. The sound system is the best I have ever heard in a car. The steering is heavier than my M5, but not unpleasant. My iPhone pairs reliably to the car, and connects to the iPod jack and works well.

The performance... very satisfying. Shifting as a manual is very satisfying, as an automatic is very smooth. The car has tons of power, the turbos have no apparent lag and the exhaust just sings. It corners beautifully, accelerates beautifully, stops on a dime. It is a very fun car to drive.

Compared to an M5, it doesn't quite have the racecar feeling that the M5 has, that little bit of wild exotic that is always there, begging you to push the car harder, go faster. Compared to any other car, though, it is an absolute pleasure and would be my first pick of any sport coupe I've driven.
Amount Paid (US$): 58,000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2008
Model and Options: 335xi